Tag: wool

Out of yarn and patience with Hobbii (things aren’t going too well with my red sweater)

~ Jessica BA ~ Leave a comment

Hobbii is out of 34 of their 56 colours for their Friends Wool Medium It's been so for weeks and they don't even have basic neutrals such as white or navy left. I looked up how much wool I would need for a weight 3 wool here. Based upon this, I thought I was being … Continue reading Out of yarn and patience with Hobbii (things aren’t going too well with my red sweater)

Knitting advice Nr. 19: Don’t trust brand names or book titles (Vikings didn’t knit)

~ Jessica BA ~ Leave a comment

Scandinavia has a rich knitting tradition, but this tradition doesn't date back to the Viking age (roughly end of 8th century-mid 11th century). Vikings didn't knit. Therefore it makes no sense to publish books with titles such as Viking knits or Viking Patterns for knitting, etc. It's a pity, really. Vikings had lovely sheep and … Continue reading Knitting advice Nr. 19: Don’t trust brand names or book titles (Vikings didn’t knit)

Knitting Advice Nr. 17: Label your swatch (no, you won’t remember what it was all about)

~ Jessica BA ~ Leave a comment

Maybe it's just me and old age setting in, but I've got a number of swatches that I have kept...without labeling them. If I look up on my notes on Ravelry or my bullet journal, I've got a fair chance of recalling what yarn it was and even its colourway. But not the size needle … Continue reading Knitting Advice Nr. 17: Label your swatch (no, you won’t remember what it was all about)

Knitting with cheap wool: evaluation of Friends Wool Medium from Hobbii

~ Jessica BA ~ 1 Comment

I followed through with my plan of experimenting knitting with inexpensive non superwash wool. I waited for black Friday to get a deal, but having visited Hobbii's website more often, I realise I needn't have bothered. This wool is almost always on some sort of sale, especially when you are buying pullover quantities. As of … Continue reading Knitting with cheap wool: evaluation of Friends Wool Medium from Hobbii

Knitting advice Nr. 13: Don’t use a Russian bind off for half-mittens (it’s too loose)

~ Jessica BA ~ Leave a comment

I really like the Russian bind off as it makes it so easy to control your tension compared to traditional bind off. When you use the traditional bind off, it's very easy to end up with a bind off edge that is less wide than the rest of your fabric. This can be a problem, … Continue reading Knitting advice Nr. 13: Don’t use a Russian bind off for half-mittens (it’s too loose)

Knitting advice Nr. 12: Knit your superwash wool at a tighter gauge (your garment will be more durable)

~ Jessica BA ~ Leave a comment

Superwash wool is meant to be more "convenient": easily washable, and even, some claim, easily driable ! We all know this only partly true. We've seen what happens to our knits that we mistakenly put on an ordinary washing cycle. They don't turn out good. It never occurred to me to put the poor wrench … Continue reading Knitting advice Nr. 12: Knit your superwash wool at a tighter gauge (your garment will be more durable)

Knitting Advice Nr. 11: Don’t buy superwash wool (Part 2)

~ Jessica BA ~ 3 Comments

That's it. That's the advice. Don't buy superwash. It's bad for the environment, it's bad for people living near the plants that scour and superwash wool. Introduction The first superwash treatment: chlorination Chlorination and the structure of the wool fibre the fleece of sheep the wool fibre structure felt Research on chlorination Hercosett process : … Continue reading Knitting Advice Nr. 11: Don’t buy superwash wool (Part 2)